


Enough Fire For One Day

by ZombieBabs



Series: The Demon Within (Is A Total Bro) [3]
Category: The Black Tapes Podcast
Genre: Alternate Universe, Confessions, Crack Treated Seriously, Demonic Possession, Gen, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-27
Updated: 2016-01-27
Packaged: 2018-05-16 12:19:39
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5828338
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ZombieBabs/pseuds/ZombieBabs
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's time for the demon possessing Strand to tell Alex the truth about his identity.</p><p>It goes...surprisingly well.</p><p>*Edited 7.21.17</p>
            </blockquote>





	Enough Fire For One Day

Alex Reagan stares at him like he's just grown a second head. Which is ridiculous. He has at least six in his true form.

“I’m sorry," she says, "what did you say? I must have heard you wrong.”

 _I told you this was a terrible idea_ , Strand says.

The demon ignores him. 

“I am a demon, possessing the body of Dr. Richard Strand. Have been for years. Since he was a kid, in fact.”

The look on Alex’s face shifts very quickly to concern. She gets up from her desk and makes her way toward him. “Richard, I think you may have a fever. Hold still.”

Her hand comes up to rest over his forehead. She moves it down to either side of his face, then cups the back of his neck. She shakes her head, finding Strand’s body to be warm, but not overly so.

The demon tries not to enjoy the personal contact too much, knowing it’s not truly meant for him. Too bad Strand is buried so deep--he can’t feel any of it.

“I don’t have a fever. I’m not having any sort of mental breakdown. I’m not even high. I’m telling the truth, Alex.”

She stares at him for a long time.

“A demon,” she says, eventually.

He smiles. “That’s me.”

Slowly, Alex rounds her desk and returns to her seat. She collapses into it. “This...isn’t some kind of joke?”

“Nope. And no, nobody is waiting out in the hall to burst in and tell you you’re on Candid Camera. Possession is kind of something we demons like to keep on the down-low.”

Alex frowns. She doesn’t look convinced.

 _She’s convinced you are insane_ , Strand says, completely unhelpful, as always.

“Dude, shut up,” the demon says.

Alex’s brown eyes widen.

“No, not you, Alex,” he says, quickly. “You have no idea how annoying this Strand guy really is. Most vessels you can stuff so far inside themselves they take the hint and go to sleep. Not this guy. _Constant_ nagging.”

_She’s going to have us committed._

“What that attitude, I’ll let her. Then where will you be, huh? I’ll be sipping on Mai-Tais in Miami in a brand new vessel and you’ll be stuck in a cell for the rest of your miserable life.”

Strand goes quiet. And not the good kind of quiet, where the demon can finally get some peace. The bad kind of quiet.

“Oh, stop pouting. What did I tell you when you were eight? I’ll take care of you, jeez.”

Alex grips the arms of her chair like she'll need to bolt at any moment.

“Okay, okay,” the demon says. He didn't think it would be this hard to convince Ms. I-Believe-The-Black-Tapes-Are-Connected that her friend and colleague has been possessed by a demon his whole life, but _whatever_ , he’s positive he can get her to come around. “You want proof, I take it?”

“Um, sure,” Alex says.

Her knuckles are turning white. He better make this quick.

The demon scans the room. He points at the bin in the corner. “Trash can.”

Alex looks at the bin. When she finds nothing extraordinary about it, she turns to him. “What about it?”

“The papers inside are going to burst into flame. In three...two...one.” 

On the count of one, the demon snaps his fingers. With a flash, the contents of the basket start to burn. 

Alex jumps in her chair, then rolls herself as far away from the flames as her desk will allow. “Holy shit! Put it out!”

The demon snaps his fingers again, dousing the fire into nothing but embers.

Alex looks at him, then to the trash can, and then back at him.

“I can do something else if you’re still not convinced,” the demon says. 

Alex shakes her head. “No, no, I think that’s enough fire for one day.” 

The demon grins. “What kind of demon would I be if all I could do was set fire to things? I mean, a lot of us are pyromaniacs, yeah, but I’ve got some other tricks up my sleeves. Wanna see?”

He doesn’t wait for her to answer.

The office plunges into darkness.

It’s a darkness so heavy and so thick even the bright glow of the computer screen cannot penetrate it. Not even the afternoon sun, previously streaming in through the window, can win against this kind of darkness.

Alex, poor human that she is, can’t see the shadows roll and roil like ocean waves, like living creatures, but he can. He takes a moment to appreciate their beauty, letting them twirl and dance around one of his fingers.

Until his sensitive ears pick up some kind of high-pitched noise. Something very much like an injured animal. Or a frightened one.

He banishes the shadows with a regretful look.

Alex is crouched on the floor, her knees tucked into her chest, her head shoved between her knees, with her arms folded over her head. The sound comes from her.

He kneels down in front of her, hands hovering just over her shoulders. Should he touch her or not? Humans like physical contact when they're in distress, he's almost certain.

In the back of his mind, Strand coils, tense and unhappy. He's not exactly an expert, either. His parents weren't exactly touchy-feel-y.

“I’m sorry," the demon says. "I didn’t mean to scare you. Sometimes, I forget how fragile you humans can be.”

She finally looks up. Tears track down her face.

The demon wants to kiss them away, to taste the salt and fear, but Strand pulls at him, urging him to give her space.

Alex punches ineffectually at his shoulder. “Don’t ever do anything like that again!”

The demon nods, but doesn’t make any promises. As a demon, it's not exactly in his nature to make promises. Promises he doesn't intent to keep, anyway.

“Are you okay?” he asks.

“No.” She tries to punch him again, but the demon catches her fist and cradles it in between his much larger hands. She sniffles and pulls her hand away. 

The demon backs away, letting Alex pull herself up. She sinks down into her chair and pulls out a compact mirror. After wiping away the remaining tears and fixing non-existent smudges of her mascara, she turns back to him and waves him back into the guest chair. She waits until he’s seated before speaking. “If you’re a demon, give me one good reason not to have you exorcised.”

He tries not to smile, he really does, but he can feel the grin spreading across Strand’s features. “Because it wouldn’t work.”

Alex's eyes narrow. “What do you mean?”

“I mean what I said. I’m not some lower class demon, bent on terrorizing children." He pauses. "Okay, so, I’ve terrorized my fair share of children, but exorcisms don’t affect demons of my stature.”

He can see the wheels turning in her head. He graciously gives her a moment to think.

“That’s why you could be in the room during that exorcism?" she asks. "The one from The Black Tapes.”

“You got it.”

Again, he gives her a moment to process.

Alex stares at him. Hard. Like she could see all the way inside of him if she was persistent enough. “Who have I been speaking to this whole time? You said that Strand is still there?”

The demon leans back in his chair. “It’s been me pretending to be Strand. Trust me, he’s as boring now as he was when he was a kid. We argue a bunch, but I think we’re pals, wouldn’t you say, buddy?”

Strand stays silent.

“Aw, don’t be like that. Look, I’m sorry I said I’d leave you alone in a mental ward. Even if Alex _did_ have us committed, with our legal team we’d be out in a jiffy.”

He gives Alex a conspiratorial wink. In a stage whisper, he says, “It’s his biggest fear.”

Alex raises her brows. “What, being committed to a mental hospital?”

“You’d think, right? If he ever told anyone about me, they’d think he was crazy. But no, he’s actually afraid I’ll just up and leave him one day.”

A burst of mental static leaves the demon wincing.

“Oh, come on, it’s not like it was a secret. You know you can’t actually keep secrets from me.”

“That’s very sad,” says Alex, frowning. “Not being able to keep secrets in your own head.”

“He wouldn’t have to worry about it if he just went to sleep, but no.” The demon drags out the last word. “It’s like he’s made it his mission to annoy me to death. For as long as I’ve lived--and I’ve lived a long time--I’ve never met a more stubborn human being.”

“I don’t think I would want to ‘go to sleep’ either, if I were possessed.”

“You’d be surprised.” He kicks out his feet in front of him, crossing them at the ankles. “Humans let demons possess them for a number of reasons. Sometimes it’s easier than dealing with actual mental instabilities. Or living with the loss of a loved one. Sometimes, even to escape abuse.”

A slight smile pulls at Alex's lips. “You sounded a lot like Dr. Strand there. Or the Dr. Strand you pretend to be.”

“Don’t say that." The demon scrunches his nose. "You’ll ruin my street cred.”

Alex laughs, then blinks, as if she's surprised by her own reaction. “It’s hard to get used to hearing so much slang coming out of Dr. Strand’s mouth.”

He smirks. “That’s because I’m way more, shall we say, _relaxed_ than Strand. He’s been uptight just about his whole life.”

“Why did Richard let you possess him? If I may ask. You keep saying he was a child at the time.”

Just like Alex to ask the big questions. 

“Nothing too original. Super smart kid, not a lot of friends, felt lonely more often than not. Like he didn't belong and never would. Doesn’t take much to convince an eight year old it might be easier for someone else to take the wheel.”

And just like that, Alex is frowning again. “What about his parents? They didn’t notice anything different?”

“Not that they could do anything about it if they had, but no. Not one clue.”

“Oh my God.”

The demon shifts at the use of the Big Guy's name. “You’re telling me. Poor kid. Practically raised him myself.”

Strand bristles, but he doesn’t argue. For once.

“So you believe me?” the demon asks. 

Alex takes in a long breath. She lets it out. She looks shaky, but okay.

It’s probably the best either Strand or the demon could hope for.

“I’m either finally having a nervous breakdown or--yeah, I guess I believe you.”

Surprise surges from Strand. Beneath the surprise is also something pleasant, like hope.

Grinning, the demon says, “Dude, I told you it would work out.”

To Alex, he says, “I’m glad. Mostly because I did _not_ want to have to erase any memories. Super tedious, you know? You don’t know. It’s cool."

He cocks his head, listening. "Anyway, Nic is on his way to your office, so I should probably get going. Papers to grade and whatever. I know you have a ton of questions, so I guess I’ll see you around?”

“You’re leaving?”

“Aw, Alex, you’re going to make me blush.”

An actual blush makes it’s way up the Alex's neck. It climbs all the way up her cheekbones and into her ears. It’s _adorable._ “Shut up. I just--you can’t drop a bomb like that and just, just leave!”

He winks. “You can ask me out for drinks later, if you want. For now, I really do need to go. Don’t need Nic getting suspicious. Strand never sticks around this long.”

Heaving himself out of the chair, he makes his way toward the door. His hand on the doorknob, he pauses just before he opens it. “By the way, do _not_ tell Nic. I hate having to leave on a threat, but you do not want to see the kinds of shadows I can whip up.”

He waits for her to nod before opening the door.

“Wait--”

He turns. “Yes, Alex?”

“Can I--is he--is Strand--?”

Strand perks up at the mention of his name.

“Is he what?”

“Is he okay? I mean, being possessed? He’s not hurting, is he?”

Grinning, the demon nods. “He’s good. I keep my word. I told him I’d take care of him and I am. In my own way, but nobody’s perfect, right?”

Her shoulders relax with relief. “Okay. Thank you. I just--”

“Needed to know. It’s fine. By the way, thanks for not flipping out on me. You’ve got a lot of guts, Alex. And you’re a good friend.”

She smiles and looks down, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. 

He lets himself out before she can look up again.

“It was getting a little too emotional in there, don’t you think?”

 _It went...surprisingly well_ , Strand says. 

The demon considers that and nods. For once, they can agree. “Hey, what do you think about tacos for dinner?”

An expectant silence from his vessel.

“Oh, right, it’s not like you can taste anything anyway. Tacos it is.”

The demon whistles, his hands in his pockets, all the way back to the car.

**Author's Note:**

> *Edited: 7.21.17


End file.
